It was ultimately a really clever ad campaign, but it effectively communicated to potential customers that Sony had a solution to a problem they had.

2. “What are the solutions to my problem?”

After identifying the need, consumers will start to source for a solution.

There are two main paths consumers take when searching for information: Internal and External.

Internal path: Memories + Experiences

Suppose you’re craving pasta. You might start thinking about all the pasta dishes you’ve had in recent times. You’ll also recall any pasta recommendations your foodie friends may have given you before. Memorable brands and products have an advantage here, thanks to the availability heuristic.

BE ACCESSIBLE: An engaging social media presence is non-negotiable in today’s business climate.

Studies from CMB, RivalIQ and others have revealed that social media engagement plays a significant role in consumer decisions. IAB found that 90 per cent of consumers would recommend a brand to others after interacting with them on social media.

You don’t have to be everywhere, just be active wherever your customers would expect to find you.

3. “Which are the best solutions to my problem?”

Remember that most consumers are not evaluating just one product, but several at a time. The evaluation process usually answers several questions:

Price: Is it within my budget? Which one’s more value-for-money? Do I get any incentives to go with it?

Brand name: Is it a well-known brand? Have I heard about it before? Which one is more popular?

Product attributes: Does it look good? Does it have more functions? Will it last? What will my peers think of it?

Country of Origin: Where is this made? Can its workmanship and quality be trusted?

This is where your brand and products go head-to-head with your competitors.

Differentiate yourself: What’s your Unique Selling Proposition?

Find out what you can offer that differentiates your product from its competitors.

These tips are equally valuable in figuring out how to establish your products, too.

4. “Where can I get it?”

Once consumers have decided on the product to buy, they’ll want to figure out where it’s most convenient for them to buy it.

Consumers will usually make the decision to either buy online, or from an offline retail store.

Online shopping:

Popular because it’s convenient and allows people to buy what isn’t available locally. It also allows consumers to look at different ecommerce sites simultaneously, as well as filter items according to categories, price, etc.

Offline shopping:

Being able to touch and try on products is a huge advantage for many consumers. Consumers usually prefer to try on certain types of apparel, especially those with complex measurements like suits or lingerie.

Provide all critical product information.

One of the biggest fears of online shoppers is that the product will not be what we expected, or that it won’t suit us.

Ministry of Supply fights this with an awesome fitting guide. It compares their sizes with those of other popular brands (e.g. H&M, Tommy Hilfiger) to tell you which size you should buy:

The MoS shirt I bought ended up fitting better than the one from H&M! True story.

For eyewear, Warby Parker has a virtual try-on function, allowing you to superimpose the glasses on a photo to show how it’d look on you:

If only my real-life glasses looked this good on me!

Offline? Provide store information:

Consumers should be able to quickly and easily obtain information like store addresses, travel directions, opening hours, and contact numbers.

No excuses! Missing information = missing sales.

5. “So I bought it. Did I like it?”

As an ecommerce owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your customers got what they asked for, and to check if they are satisfied with their purchase.

Here are some of the most popular reasons why customers return the products they bought:

The customer ordered the incorrect product or size

The customer decided the product was not needed or wanted

No reason for return given

The product did not match the description on the website or in the catalog

The product did not fit the customer’s expectations

The company shipped the incorrect product or size

Reasons 1 and 4 can be improved by making the product descriptions and sizing information clearer for consumers. Reason 5 can be mitigated by providing accurate visual information about the products, such as product images and descriptions.

Make Contact: Check up on your customersafter they have received their product.

1 comment

The Febreze and Sony Walkman examples are my favorite. Just thinking about how Febreze went from odor-removing to cleanup-rewarding gets me off. I wonder how many other things in our lives could do with such ‘rebranding’!

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